Uncontrollable Laughter

There are many things we learn to do by watching or listening to others, and there are many things that we are born knowing how to do.  We are born with the instinct to cry, blink, and breathe. Over time we develop the sense of laughing and smiling and this is a big moment for our parents.  Laughing becomes apart of our lives very quickly we use it to express ourselves and to let others know how we feel.  This got me thinking of things that make me laugh, and mine are similar to almost every other 21 year old male: my friends, funny pictures, hilarious personal stories.  But one thing that might set me apart is the way I laugh at myself.  I laugh at myself on the daily and have no problem sharing my embarrassing or awkward situations with others so they can laugh too.

            I am a pretty clumsy person and my clumsiness seems to come out in the most crowded/awkward situations.  One fine Friday walking to class I was going over some note cards before a test.  I got a call from my sister; we were talking about normal brother-sister things like our day and other family matters.  I was chatting, studying, and walking—essentially I was doing what no naturally clumsy person should ever have to do which is multitask.  I came to the busy 4 way stop right between campus and the fraternity/sorority houses when a gust of wind came and blew my note cards right out of my hand.  I hear car horns beeping and tires screeching as I run back into the rode to collect my much-needed study supplies, all while still on the phone with my younger sister.  While reaching down to grab my last notecard my balance is shifted because of the weight of my backpack and I tumble, face forward into the hot asphalt.  Cars are idly driving by laughing at this random college student falling in the middle of the busy street.  I finally collect all my notecards and what is left of my dignity and pick up my pace to get out of the street.  I’m trying to get my cards back in order while also trying to explain to my sister what’s going on when BAM my head connects right into a tree branch.  I feel my body from the force of my weight slamming into this small tree falling backwards again right into the grass and dirt that that small tree is rooted too.  On the ground that is where I start to lose it.  I laugh so loud and for so long that people are really starting to stare.  Tears start to fill my eyes and my stomach starts aching from my uncontrollable laughter.  A couple of random students came up too me and asked if I was okay while they too were trying to hide the smile that was crippling across their face.  I got up still on the phone with my confused sister brushed myself off and proceeded to my class.  One thing that didn’t come across my mind is that I was very conveniently wearing white athletic shorts so during my final fall into the dirt caused the back of my shorts to be tie-dyed with a perfect grassy green and a dirt brown.  As you can guess for the rest of the day people were asking me about what happened and why my shorts were ruined and every time I told the story I couldn’t help but laugh and neither could the person I was telling my story to.